Independent Standard-Setting Boards

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board sets high-quality international standards for auditing, assurance, and quality control that strengthen public confidence in the global profession.

The International Accounting Education Standards Board establishes standards, in the area of professional accounting education, that prescribe technical competence and professional skills, values, ethics, and attitudes.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board develops standards, guidance, and resources for use by public sector entities around the world for preparation of general purpose financial statements.

Ethics

Unethical business practices harm organizations and economies. Large-scale business failures such as Enron—as well as the more recent failures related to the global financial crisis—highlight the consequences of unethical business practices and amoral management. Professional accountants, as stewards of transparency and trust, and subject to a professional code of ethics, have a key role to play not only in upholding but in encouraging and influencing ethical behavior and decision making within their organizations. See the full overview.

The intersection of human rights and business is an important emerging area that no business can afford to ignore, and assessing and addressing potential risk is clearly also a role for the professional accountant .

The third Exposure Draft that was issued by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants in January 2017 as part of the Structure of the Code (Structure) project is open for comment until May 25, 2017—and is the final opportunity for...